Following the immediate controversy that erupted over a Super Bowl commercial that took a particularly dark turn, Nationwide Insurance has responded in a statement insisting that its goal was not to sell insurance, but to start a conversation.

"Preventable injuries around the home are the leading cause of childhood deaths in America. Most people don’t know that. Nationwide ran an ad during the Super Bowl that started a fierce conversation," read a press release on the company's website. "The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance."

From riding atop a giant tiger operated by black-clad puppeteers to sailing over the University of Phoenix stadium on a "The More You Know" star, Perry, 30, certainly knew how to put on a show that would get social media buzzing.

Of course, social media buzzed in the best way it knows how – by cheerfully poking fun at the performance in the form of memes. Here's a sampling.

In case you missed it: Chris Pratt and Chris Evans made a great Super Bowl bet. If Pratt's Seahawks won, Evans had to visit a children's hospital as Captain America, and if Evans's Patriots came out on top, Pratt had to visit a Boston charity dressed as his Guardians of the Galaxy character Star-Lord.